1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a protective covering for a gas-fueled appliance. In particular, the invention relates to a device for surrounding the lower periphery of an appliance such as a water heater, furnace or clothes dryer, to prevent spills on the floor from contacting the appliance and to contain any explosions or fires resulting from the ignition of fumes by the heater's gas flame.
2. The Prior Art
Natural gas-fueled water heaters have become very common in households, due to the efficiency and low cost of natural gas. One problem that has developed as a result of these water heaters, however, is the danger of fire and explosion from fumes and/or spills contacting the gas flames at the bottom of the water heater. These explosions and fires can cause substantial property damage, injury to household occupants, and even death. One proposed solution has been to elevate the water heater approximately 18 inches off of the floor. The drawbacks of this solution are that often there is insufficient headroom to elevate the heater in a small, low basement, or that the required revisions to the pipe system connected to the heater make the elevation unfeasible and too expensive. The fumes can also reach the heater when elevated when there is movement in the vicinity.
There have been attempts to construct shields to keep the fumes from spills from coming near the flame of the water heater. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,591 to Vollmar et al. This device comprises a mounting strip and a shield mounted in the mounting strip to surround the water heater. The strip and shield are made of plastic. Another such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,138 to Cacace. This device comprises an aluminum collar that is held in place by two rings to hold it in place.
While these device are useful in preventing some explosions, they are not well equipped to handle all types of hazardous fumes.